Nursing brassiere structure



May 26, 1970 s. A. S'EIDL 3,513,852

NURSING BRASSIERE STRUCTURE Filed April 8, 11968 2 Sheets Sheet 1 INVEN'I'OR. s/mko/v- 19. 3.5/01.

May 26, 1970 Filed April 8, 1968 FIG. 5

s. A. SEIDL 3,513,852

NURSING BRASSIERE STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,513,852 NURSING BRASSIERE STRUCTURE Sharon A. Seidl, 149 Garbe Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55119 Filed Apr. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 719,623 Int. Cl. A41c 3/04 US. Cl. 128-460 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A nursing brassiere comprising a body portion having spaced openings therein and cup portions carried by said body portion hinged thereto to removably overlie said openings, and means for securing said cup portions, each of said cup portions embodying a substantially coneshaped form-retaining guard member disposed to have forward projection and to provide relief from pressure for an underlying sensitive area of the wearer.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Known in the art are nursing brassieres which embody form-retaining cup members which stand out from the body of the wearer for pressure relief, but which are integral with the garment and require the removal of the brassiere for nursing purposes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a brassiere structure embodying protective means which permit sufiicient exposure of the breast for nursing purposes without the removal of the brassiere.

It is another object of this invention to provide a brassiere structure embodying a guard member which is substantially cone-shaped and form-retaining, said guard member being carried by an auxiliary brassiere cup portion formed as a flap and being readily movable to allow the nursing of a baby without the removal of the brassiere.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a brassiere structure comprising a body portion having openings therein of sufficient size to permit nursing a child, cup members forming covers for said openings comprising and being hinged to said body portions adjacent underlying portions of said openings, and means for removably securing said cup members in position overlying said openings, said cup members embodying a form-retaining substantially cone-shaped guard memher, said cup members receiving said cone-shaped guard members centrally therein having the same projecting forwardly to project outwardly of a sensitive area of the wearer.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of the structure herein with portions thereof being broken away and a portion thereof being shown partially in an alternate position;

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 as indicated, with a portion thereon being shown in alternate position by dotted lines;

FIG. 3 is a View in rear elevation of a detail of the structure herein with portions thereof being broken away and a portion thereof being shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of a detail of the structure herein;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view in vertical section with a portion broken away showing a modification; and

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation of a detail of a modified detail with a portion thereof being broken away.

3,513,852 Patented May 26, 1970 With reference to the drawings, the structure herein comprising a nursing brassiere is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. Said brassiere includes body portions 12 and 14 with an integral connecting web 15 therebetween and with band portions 17 and 18 which will extend about the back of the wearer and will be fastened together in a conventional manner as by hooks. Said band portions are broken away as their full illustration is not necessary for a disclosure of the invention. Said body portions are particularly designed and formed to provide adequate support for the wearer.

Said body portions respectively have openings 19 and 20 therein, as shown in FIG. 1. Said openings will be of sufiicient size to permit nursing a child therethrough.

The brassiere has supporting shoulder straps 16 and 21 which will have their rear end portions not here shown respectively secured to the bands 17 and 18 in a conventional manner as by stitching. Said straps will extend upwardly and forwardly over the shoulders of the wearer and the present embodiments are shown having buckles 22 and 23 at their free front end portions. Said buckles permit adjustment of the effective lengths of said straps and also provide slots 22a and 23a therethrough for the passage of other straps.

The body portions 12 and 14 each have short straps 24 and 25 respectively having one of their ends stitched to upper central portions of said body portions and the straps extend through said buckle slots 22a and 23a as shown and carry conventional hooks 26 and 27 at their forward free ends.

Respectively overlying substantial portions of said body portions 12 and 14 and fully overlying the openings therein are cup members 28 and 29. Said cup members will be contoured to conform to their respective body portions and are arranged and constructed to substantially unobstructedly expose said openings 19 and 20*.

Said cup members will be hingedly secured to lower central portions of said body portions as by stitching, as indicated at 30 and 31. The extent of the stitching will be such as to permit said cup members to be pulled or disposed forwardly and downwardly, as indicated -by the cu member 28 in FIG. 1 and by the dotted line position of the cup member 29 in FIG. 2.

Short slotted or looped stub straps 33 and 34 are secured to the upper central portions of said cup members and will engage and be secured by said hooks 26 and 27.

Said cup member 28 will be described in further detail and such description will apply to both cup members.

The central portion 42 of said cup member 28 is upset and formed as a forwardly projecting pocket and will project forwardly of the central forward or nipple portion of the breast, as shown in FIG. 2.

To provide protection for the sensitive or nipple area of the breast against applied pressure such as would come from holding or hugging a baby, a guard member 50 is provided for said cup member and in the instant embodiment is shown as an insert in connection therewith.

It will be understood that said guard member may be variously formed and of various resilient or yielding formretaining materials such as a yielding plastic material.

Said guard member is shown being generally coneshaped of a size to be received within said pocket 42 as illustrated. The upper portion 51. of said guard member is preferably formed to permit the free passage of air for ventilation and is shown as being ribbed having spaced ribs 51a. The lower portion 52 of said guard member is here shown to be imperforate.

Said guard member may be variously secured in position within said pocket, such as by stitching, which is not uncommon in connection with soft plastics. However, in

3 the instant embodiment, said guard member is shown provided with snap fasteners 58 for ready removal. Mating portions 58' of said fasteners will be secured at corresponding points about the rim portion of said pocket.

It is not unusual during a nursing period for discharge to occur from the breast, and for absorbing such fluid as may be discharged, a disposable absorbent pad 60 is provided which will be shaped to seat within the lower portion of said guard member and will be removably secured therein by having an underlying layer of an applied adhesive 63. Such an application of an adhesive is a common one and is protected before use by a cover strip.

OPERATION For use generally, the cup members 28 and 29 will be in position overlying the openings within the body :portions 12 and 14 and will be secured to the hook members 26 and 27. The guard members fit very nicely within the pockets of the cup members and protection is afforded as illustrated in FIG. 2.

When the wearer desires to nurse her baby, the desired cup will be unfastened and merely disposed forwardly downwardly out of the way exposing the opening in the body portion of the brassiere. This represents a substantial improvement over the use of conventional brassieres which require that the brassiere itself be at least partially removed by an unfastening and lowering of a body portion thereof.

The guard members are intended to protect a limited sensitive area of the body of the wearer from pressure such as would come from holding a baby or from bumps. The guard members will be sufficiently yielding to absorb a good deal of applied pressure. Though not here shown, said guard members may have padded rim portions for added protection.

The absorbent pad 60 is readily changed as may be required.

MODIFICATION A modification of the brassiere structure above described with respect to the cup and guard member portions thereof is shown in FIGS. and 6. Structure identical to that above described will be indicated by the same reference numerals. The modified structure only will be hereinafter described.

The modified cup member 29' is shown having an opening 70 in the forward central portion thereof in lieu of the pocket 42 above described in connection with cup member 29. Said opening 70 is defined by the peripheral rim portion 71, which may be a stitched seam having some stiffness to it.

A guard member 50' is substantially the same as the member 50 above described with fasteners 58 spaced thereabout and complementary portions 58' of said fasteners are correspondingly spaced about the inner side of said rim portion 71 or the adjacent portion of said cup member. Said rim portion will be of a size to nicely accommodate and receive the peripheral or rim portion of said guard member 50' therein.

Thus as here presented, said guard member will be externally applied to complete said pocket structure.

Said guard member will be externally treated to have a decorative outer surface appearance. As here shown, an appropriate porous decorative material 75 such as a lace material is indicated as applied to the outer surface of said guard member as by an adhesive.

The absorbent pad 60 is utilized as above described,

In the modified structure, the guard member may be removed and interchanged with other like members having different specific configuration, such as being less conical in appearance. It may also be noted that the guard member alone may be removed for nursing purposes.

Thus it is seen that there has been provided a simply and effectively designed nursing brassiere which has been very satisfactory in use.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of the invention herein which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A brassiere structure having in combination,

a pair of spaced body portions, each body portion having an opening therein,

cup members respectively overlying said openings,

means hingedly securing said cup members to lower portions of said body portions adjacent said openings,

a form-retaining substantially cone-shaped guard member for each of said cup members, and

said cup respectively having substantially central pocket portions to receive said guard members therein, and means removably securing said guard members within said pockets.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said guard member is formed of yielding material.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said guard member has a substantial portion thereof formed of ribs.

4. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said guard member has openings therein for the passage of air therethrough.

5. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein an absorbent member is removably disposed within said guard member.

6. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said cup members have substantially central openings therein to have said guard members respectively disposed therethrough, and

means secure said guard members within said openings.

7. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said guard member has a porous decorative surface.

8. The structure set forth in claim 1, including fastening means removably securing said guard members to said members.

9. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said cup members comprise pockets to receive said guard members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,217,441 2/ 1917 Guinzburg 128460 2,579,365 12/1951 Conde 128436 2,679,048 5 1954 Alberts 128460 3,149,635 9/ 1964 Garutso 128460 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl, X.R. 128-463, 478 

